Goodwoof ’24

I woke up early, raring to go and super excited to see what the day would bring.

            The facilities in the Goodwood Hotel were lovely and the breakfast was very nice but I didn’t spend much time enjoying them. I was rushing, ready to get on the bus and head up to Goodwoof.

            Goodwoof is a dog celebration held on the Goodwood Estate not far north of Chichester. It is held in May, making the most of the British Spring weather. (The weather when I attended was delightful but having wandered the well laid out site, I got the feeling that even if it did rain, it wouldn’t spoil the fun. There was plenty of cover available and non-slip paths to walk on if the site got a tad muddy.)

            The excitement for the event started when the delightfully designed ticket packet landed on my doormat. Inside the dalmatian-print wrapper, the race day style tags held the promise of a really fun day.

            A dedicated bus service was laid on to get people and dogs from the parking area, as well as the hotel, up to the main event. I’ve never seen so many extremely well behaved dogs on one bus. Everyone, dogs and people alike, were chattering away, talking about what they wanted to see and which events they wanted to sample.

            I got off the bus just in time to see the gathering of the labrador parade. A mass of happy looking owners and wagging dogs were arranged artfully in front of Goodwood House whilst camera people took video and photos to capture the moment.

            I rushed off up the path wanting to be ahead of the parade.

            A set of large, orange dogs greeted me as I walked into the first of a series of fields that Goodwoof is set in. A band was setting up under an awning and the smell of coffee wafted from one of the many food carts and stands that were thoughtfully arranged around the event.

            I wandered up the hill towards The Kennels. I’d seen photos online but the beautiful building was a real joy to see, especially with the gigantic orange letters spelling out “GOODWOOF” in front of the most beautiful doghouse that I’ve ever seen.

            The labrador parade, by the looks of things, was going to finish at the orange letters, so I arranged myself under the shade of a tree, sketchbook out, to try and take it all in.

            Then I heard them coming.

            There were drums, dancing and the march of happy paws and feet. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. So much happiness. A pure celebration of dogs and, in this case, labradors in particular. Though, I spotted many a happy wagging non-lab in the pack, too.

            I hung out by the literary corner for a bit then, after getting a cup of coffee and a cake. Anita Mangan gave a wonderful talk about all things illustration and the hi-jinks that she and her brother Stephen got up to. She also talked about the fun of drawing dogs, which is a topic I’m always happy to listen to.

            After the talk, I went for a wander, walking to the Field Trial area, at the far end of the event. I am a big collie fan and watched in awe as the fabulous dogs darted and shimmered around the field, herding a flock of interested looking sheep.

            It was off to Fido’s Lido then, after first picking up another cup of coffee from another well provisioned food truck.

            It was a warm day and many a happy dog was cooling off in what was, for my money, one of the most fun activities at Goodwoof. There was so much splashing and shaking off of water that I had the most marvellous time drawing the fun, from the shade of a very well positioned awning. I could also admire the marvellous Snoopy on his dog house sculpture. Charles Shultz was a genius.

            I bimbled around taking in the sights and sounds of the day. The general buzz was of happy dogs and lovely happy barking.

            I took in the dog yoga, the have a go agility area, the fastest dog track, as well as the clothes shopping stalls (I didn’t manage to find a hat that would fit me. I’m always on the lookout for a good hat). I watched as people gave CaniCross a go.  I perused the Barkitechture display, with the fine design work beautifully exhibited. I wanted to bump into Kevin McCloud whilst out and about. I’d seen him in the car park of the hotel earlier and wanted to know where he’d bought his delightful hat.

            It was time to head back to the Literary Corner. One of my heroes was giving a talk and I really didn’t want to miss it.

            Bill Bailey gave a hilarious talk on his upcoming book, full of all sorts of shaggy dog stories. I took up position in the shade of a tree and sketched him, mid-talk. I bumped into Jennifer Owens (@jenniferowensmusic on insta, a very wonderful singer) and she suggested that I should get him to sign it, so after the talk I wandered down, waited in line (whilst taking the opportunity to draw more lovely dogs) and met the man himself. He was ever so lovely and very kindly signed my sketch.

            I got to spend a little time with the beautiful Maggie The Wunder Dog and gorgeous Millie whilst at the Jai Dog Rescue tent. I even got a little cuddle from both dogs. At Goodwoof this year, £37,316.56 was raised from donations to support this wonderful cause. You can find out more about Jai Dog Rescue here.

The heat of the day had gone at this point and it was time for me to do one last tour around the event, to have a little look around the book store (a Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang volume came home with me) and the Fortnum and Mason stand, before heading back to the hotel then home.  

            I decided to walk back down the hill rather than take the bus as the spring sunlight was delightful and I wanted to take in the cricket pitch and the tree lined driveway before I left.

            My reflections on the day – Well, the weather was perfect. I got to see and meet more dogs in one day then I normally get to meet in a year. Everything was thoughtfully laid out with plenty of staff walking around to ask if you got a little lost. It was a happy day where people gathered to celebrate dogs and their wonderfulness. I can’t wait for next year.

You can find out more about Goodwoof ’25 here